Bernardo Villela is like a mallrat except at the movies. He is a writer, director, editor and film enthusiast who seeks to continue to explore and learn about cinema, chronicle the journey and share his findings.

Democ-Rat Digest

I can’t go long-form on every stupid thing that happens over the next few years. That will just breed malaise. With a digest post format I can throw out concrete ideas we can use to affect change. More will be forthcoming in the new year, but some things we can start on now.

The Dysfunctional Electoral College

It did what I expected it to do, and as such I will write about that whole mess soon.

How to be Vigilant

It’s easy to say “Be vigilant,” but quite another to actually explain how to do it. All discerning citizens are presented with myriad potential concerns in a Trump Administration. I can’t tell you how to prioritize your causes but can give you hints on how to get news you need. Many sites are running daily features tracking Trump’s maneuvering. Following one of these is the best way to stay in the loop and see what’s happening that affects you. I suggest Trumpwatch from Entropy.

Something More Than Just Voting

Granted many of us didn’t even bother to vote, but even if turnout was high voting isn’t all that’s needed to make this country what we want it to be.

One way to jolt yourself out of apathy early is prepping a donation schedule within your means. Granted that big money is still king, but there’s a huge difference between acknowledging a reality and being complicit in the continuation of a bad trend, and more small donors can help candidates, increase awareness, and attempt to mitigate the influence of mega-donors.

One thing that is always true is that numbers, even small ones, add up. For someone who never donated to a campaign before 2016 (I’m in this boat) even a modest $27 can seem like a bit much, especially of there’s not even swag included. But taking the same amount and spreading it out amongst many candidates of your choosing with a smaller increment to all, can have more cumulative power. It’s what I did as a last ditch in 2016, and what I’ll likely do in recurring fashion heading to 2018.

It’s like having your own mini-Super PAC. And let’s face it not everyone will tailor a slate of candidates to donate to like Sanders did through Our Revolution, this way although it takes some more individual research and thought gives you the added pride of having selected.

Plus, for adrenaline junkies, a small last-minute donation, like I gave to Tammy Duckworth can give you a gambling type rush without the dangers of bookies and the foreknowledge that you’re forfeiting that dollar (or however big or small the amount).

With monthly donations over the course of just under two years, you can make a serious impact with small monthly amounts to individual candidates or general funds like the DNC, DSCC, DGA, and others.

My schedule will be decided in January and will go through November 2018. And if your means make it such that you need to decide between candidates and causes. I say go to causes and help them. Some that will need help in the era of Trump are mentioned here.

The Incoming Cabinet of Deplorables

As you’re likely aware Trump’s incoming cabinet is painful. Whether your state is split, has two Democratic Senators or Republican ones, if these people scare you say so and make the Senators thing long and hard about giving cursory approval to these deplorables some of whom are racist, unqualified, morally bankrupt, billionaires, or many of the previous descriptives.